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For gripping weights tightly and avoiding calluses, you need one of the best weightlifting gloves for women. To learn more, Bustle reached out to Robert Herbst, a personal trainer, wellness expert, and champion powerlifter. Based on his expert advice, I’ve rounded up gloves to suit different goals and weightlifting styles.
Unless you're entering a powerlifting competition where gloves aren't allowed, Herbst says training with gloves enables you to lift without getting callouses. "If she wants to enter a competition, she should not wear gloves as she should train for the sport," Herbst says. He also says for heavy deadlifts, use chalk for a more secure grip, but generally gloves are fine to protect hands from callouses.
To not only protect hands from callouses, but also provide friction between the bar and hand, and allow hands to breathe, grip pads and minimalist gloves may be best, according to Herbst: "Of the two, minimalist gloves may be better as they will stay in place while pads will have to be adjusted each set, may move during the motion, and you have to carry them around the gym," he says. While fingerless gloves offer more protection, Herbst warns that more coverage means more sweat buildup, which can lead to blisters. To help avoid sweat build-up, my picks are made with breathable athletic fabrics, like spandex or microfiber.
For a long-lasting purchase, find gloves with durable grip materials like silicone, synthetic rubber, nylon neoprene, or silica, a chemical compound close to silicone, which also all make gripping easier.
Herbst also warns: "The more material, the thicker the glove, so effectively the bar diameter increases which paradoxically may make it harder to grip the bar, especially if the person has smaller hands." Further, he suggests avoiding gloves with wrist support unless you have an injury since it's "better to have the wrists do work so they will get strong rather than use the gloves as a crutch."
Scroll on for the best weightlifting gloves for women.
1
The Best Weightlifting Gloves With Wrist Support
If you'd like extra wrist support, these ventilated weightlifting gloves by Fit Active Sports are a great option. They have an open back design for more ventilation and less sweat; and the built-in wrist straps, which can be tightened or loosened with Velcro, provide wrist support to help you get lifting post injury. This pick comes with rubber padding for added grip and comfort as well as an extra layer of protection for your palms and fingers. Plus, the mix of rubber, neoprene, and silicone make this one durable option. According to the Q&A section on the Amazon listing, these can be machine-washed, just be sure you hang them to dry so they don't shrink or overheat.
- Available Sizes: Extra Small - Extra Large
2
These Best Fingerless Weightlifting Gloves
The Kansoon GloFit weightlifting gloves come in yellow, aqua, pink, black, and gray for a cute pair that may just go perfectly with your go-to workout outfit. With cushioned pads on the palms and silica anti-slip dots, these gloves help you lift with confidence and stability. Their double-layer palm design, with foam and microfiber, makes this a durable option to boot. Plus, the open-back design and perforated microfiber makes this a breathable and sweat-wicking pick.
The thumb on this glove is made of a jersey material, which provides extra protection for your thumb and a built-in, absorbent material to wipe sweat from your brow. There’s not a lot of wrist support with this one [[cut so it may not be best if you're recovering from any injuries]], but there is a Velcro-adjustable strap so you can feel secure in the fit. Also, though it’s not clear what the manufacturer recommends, reviewers say this pick is easy to hand wash and hang dry.
- Available Sizes: X-Small - Large
3
The Best Minimalist Weightlifting Gloves
Available in hot pink, neon green, gray/black, and black, the Fit Four minimalist workout gloves are made of durable microfiber, synthetic leather, Lycra, and silicone. The minimalist design means most of your hand is free to breathe. Plus, Lycra, a brand of spandex, and microfiber are both breathable fabrics.
While this isn't the right pick if you prefer lots of padding, the silicone palm does prevent slipping for a stable grip. Although I wasn't able to verify washing instructions from the manufacturer, reviewers say these can be washed by hand or in a washing machine.
- Available Sizes: X-Small - X-Large
4
The Best Grip Pads
Bear KompleX's leather hand grips are made with genuine leather to help prevent slipping when you're working out. The leather itself provides a little bit of padding and the triple-stitching adds extra durability. This pick does come with a custom wrist strap. With an open-back design and three holes for your fingers, this one of the most breathable options on this list. I couldn’t find any specific cleaning instructions for these grips, but this article on how to clean leather might help you out. Whatever you do, don’t soak your grips and then let them dry in the sun or the dryer, since that will shrink them.
- Available Sizes: Small - Large
5
Also Nice To Have: A Hand Chalk Block For A Stable Grip
In case you want to try both a weightlifting glove and chalk for a stable grip, this chalk ball is super highly rated on Amazon with a 4.8-star review after over 1,300 reviews; it's also a best-seller. Pigment- and scent-free, this nontoxic gym chalk is housed in a premium grade, drawstring sock for convenient chalking between lifts; plus, the sock is refillable.
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Experts referenced:
Robert Herbst, a personal trainer, wellness expert, and champion powerlifter.
